College-led training proves successful

It took years of preparation and thousands of manhours, but on 1 February this year, GP training returned to the RACGP in what was labelled a ‘historic day’ for the profession.
 
Now that hard work has paid off, with 2775 of the college’s GPs in training reporting improved experiences, teaching, supervision, and exams.
 
That is according to the new Medical Training Survey (MTS), which collated the experiences of more than half of Australia’s newest doctors as part of the annual study to track the quality of medical training.
 
The survey found that for GP registrars undertaking training with the RACGP, 84% would recommend their current training position to others or would recommend their workplace as a place to train.
 
Additionally, almost 90% rated the quality of their clinical supervision, their training to raise patient safety concerns, and their teaching sessions as good or excellent.
 
Around 80% of GPs in training agreed their exams ran smoothly on the day, were conducted fairly, and said they received training on how to provide culturally safe care.
 
All these outcomes marked improvements from previous years.
 
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins welcomed the results and congratulated medical educators and the college employees who support them. 
 
‘These results show the dedication and expertise of the hundreds of medical educators and support staff who joined the RACGP this year to provide training for the next generation of GPs,’ she said. 
 
‘It’s rare for so much change to happen so fast in education, and incredibly rare for it to be without major disruption, but in fact with improvements to most metrics.
 
‘There were definitely challenges along the way, but support teams quickly took action to resolve them, supervisors continued to support their trainees, and quick and appropriate communication kept people up to date.’
 
RACGP GPs in Training Chair Dr Bec Loveridge told newsGP the faculty will now work with young doctors to see these percentages rise even further.
 
‘The GPs in Training Faculty will continue to liaise with the RACGP Education team to identify areas for improvement in this regard,’ she said.
 
‘I think there is room for improvement in clear communication from the college … I hope with increasing engagement from GP trainees we will see increases in the number of GP trainees who feel represented by our faculty.
 
‘The college certainly seeks the views of the GPs in Training Faculty on a regular basis.’
 
But it was not all good news despite the ‘clear signs for optimism’.
 
In what the Medical Board of Australia described as an ‘ongoing fault-line in the culture of medicine’, the survey found around 14% of GPs in training had experienced bullying, harassment, discrimination, or racism, and 15% had witnessed it, versus 22% and 30% of all medical specialist trainees.  
 
Around half of this was perpetrated by patients, their families, or their carers, but a significant amount was by senior staff or colleagues. 
 
Dr Higgins labelled this ‘completely unacceptable’.
 
‘Health can be stressful. Practices and hospitals can be stressful. People let their patience run short and take it out on their doctor, or a colleague. If we want to, we could rationalise this or try to justify it in the context. But that’s a mistake,’ she said.
 
‘We learn faster and we work better when we feel safe and supported. Discrimination and racism rob trainees of opportunities to be the best GP they can be.
 
‘Bullying and harassment make a workplace tense and lead to burnout, absences, or the loss of a trainee and future opportunities to bring on GPs. No one benefits.’
 
The RACGP has reporting systems in place for any issues encountered in training.
 
Workload also continues to be an added pressure for GPs in training, with one-third labelling it as ‘heavy’.
 
Accessing psychological or mental health support likewise continues to be a problem reported by trainees, with only around half agreeing they had been provided with services.
 
A similar proportion agreed there are safe mechanisms for raising training or wellbeing concerns.
 
Dr Loveridge said improving the wellbeing of GP trainees is a key priority for the faculty.
 
‘All doctors should be aware of the mental health concerns that come with our profession following Beyond Blue’s landmark survey,’ she said.
 
‘Compared to our non-GP peers, the MTS demonstrated that GP trainees have better access to psychological or mental health support through their college and better access to safe reporting mechanisms.
 
‘With the introduction of the RACGP National Wellbeing Committee for GPs in Training, I hope to see these figures continue to improve.’
 
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